A simple SIOC in AoT
by MementoMori115
Summary: Not every fanfic needs to be extensive to be an enjoyable read. Sometimes it's good to get straight to the point. So let's drop this OC into the world of AoT and see just how he fares. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? an SI/OC (this is just for laughs. don't take it seriously)


"Author-san decided to try his hand at a simpler SI/OC fic for AoT. It's very choppy, but that's the point. Mainly he did this because he needed to write something, anything really, in order to get his flow going again. So he might not add more to this unless the demand is enough."

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In a certain reality, there is an island. And on that island is a civilization that is completely cut-off from the outside world. Three massive walls made of stone and monsters are the only thing protecting them from the gluttonous creatures that endlessly wander the land. To many, the walls are a prison, and the giant being beyond them are its wardens, hunting down any who try to escape.

However reality can differ greatly all from a change of perspective. To the rest of the world who gaze towards the island from the outside in, everything changes. The prison becomes a fortress, and the wardens become its guards. Much of the world views the island with apprehension, as if it were a bomb waiting to go off. This is nothing more than a fallacy born from the parting words of a foolish ruler who cared not for his kingdom or its people.

If one were to view the entirety of this world from the outside, they would be able to unravel the lies and deceit upon which it has been built. And just like that, the complex nature of the world is reduced to little more than a seemingly never-ending war between humans.

'They fight, we fight. And every once in a while, the sun breaks through the fog of war, allowing us to see the world beyond the carnage. A world where the war is no more, and the people can finally live without fear and oppression.'

In another reality, Isayama Hajime creates a manga series titled 'Shingeki no Kyojin'. The manga grows in popularity, and eventually is translated to English under the title 'Attack on Titan'. This is the story of the former reality, a means for a person to view that world from the outside.

A teenager of little importance happens upon the first volume of the manga while at a bookstore, and purchases it on a whim. Years later the teen has amassed a considerable collection of products pertaining to the series, and eagerly awaits the release of the next chapter. The story has nearly concluded, and he is filled with a bittersweet sensation at the prospect of it ending.

The teen goes to sleep one fateful night, and everything changes.

The next day, Shiganshina district has had its population increase by 1.

A boy who was never meant to be there, has suddenly found himself in the very place where it all began. His body has reverted to the age from when he first started reading the manga, but that is the least of his concerns. He is alone, without shelter, penniless, and currently stuck in a city that will soon turn into a mass grave. And seeing as he just spotted the Scout Regiment heading out for an expedition, he knew he was on borrowed time. Sure, it might not have been the same expedition from the first chapter, but he had a gut feeling that fate was putting the screws to him with its own form of poetic irony.

'Back to the begining, when everything started.'

Shiganshina was past the point of saving, that much he knew. For a hundred years, Wall Maria has held strong, and no one would even consider the possibility of it being breached. Let alone by a Titan tall enough to peer over it.

No, the Wall will be breached and many will die. Nothing could be done to prevent that at this point. The only option left for the boy was to do preemptive damage control... Which left him with few options, all things considered. Still, he'd make the best of the cards he'd been dealt. Though it wouldn't hurt to stack the deck in his favor.

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Erwin Smith did his best to maintain his facade of calmness, despite everything that happened. The expedition was a complete bust, and they suffered even more casualties than usual. Commander Shadis finally reached his breaking point, no longer able to bear the burden of leadership. The Scouts would need a new Commander soon, as Erwin had a feeling Shadis would soon retire.

"Excuse me. Mister Scout?"

Turning to the side, he noticed a teenage boy had called out to him.

"Can I help you?"

The boy was wearing a hood that hid most of his facial features, but he spoke with a strange accent that would easily stand out in a group.

"Everyone here is going to die."

Erwin was only slightly caught off-guard by the response. But he quickly figured out what was going on. The kid must have seen Shadis losing it, and was now concerned for his safety.

"Don't worry. The Scouts will continue to fight for humanity's freedom. We won't let something like this stop us from defeating the Titans."

"You misunderstand." the boy said coldly. The shift in tone was too unnatural for someone of his age. "The hundred years of peace has come to an end. By the end of today, the Shiganshina gate will be destroyed, and the entirety of Wall Maria will be lost to the Titans."

Although he hadn't said much, the words spoken by the boy somehow carried an ominous weight to them. It wasn't as if he was making a guess based on fear, but he was declaring the coming event with absolute certainty. But more than that...

"'Hundred years of peace'? What are you talking about?" Erwin asked as he tried to lean in closer.

The boy lowered his head to further hide his face and took a step back. "My apologies, but that is all I can say for now. Much of what I can offer you is beyond your current ability to believe. Not without proof, of which I currently have none. But I hope that when Shiganshina falls later today, you will be willing to invest some of your trust in me the next time we meet."

Erwin reached out for the kid as soon as he noticed they were turning to leave, but the boy fled deeper into the alley behind him. By the time Erwin dismounted his horse to chase after the mysterious boy, he turned the corner and vanished.

"What is going on?"

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The boy lets out a small sigh of relief upon making his escape. He knew that Erwin would soon take up the mantle of Scout Commander, and the man was already suspicious of things going on in the background. By passing on that information, the boy has reinforced that idea in Erwin's mind, as well as plant a seed of trust with the man. Provided he played his cards right, then the future commander will be more open to some of the more outrageous truths when they meet again.

Clearing his throat, the boy reverted to his original voice. For now he would allow that seed to grow, but he must also begin to sow a few this was easier said than done, as finding the Jaeger residence would be no easy task. Ideally he wanted to get there before things went to Hell in order to make sure Carla survives.

The latest chapters of the manga continued to show Eren going off-the-rails, as his constant anger and recklessness was becoming less of a burden and more of a danger. Hopefully by surviving, his mother would be able to help mitigate that problem. Everyone is free to choose what side they stand on in regards to the plot of the series, but the boy was of the mind to bring the war to an end, not fuel the fire by antagonizing the enemy. So if he intends for that to happen, he needed Eren to be less of a liability.

However the boy was quickly losing hope for his plan to succeed, as evening drew close, which heralded the arrival of the big bastard. A roar of thunder deafened the city and brought all activity to an abrupt halt. Time was up.

As he rounded the corner to make visual contact with the Shifter who stood menacingly at the wall, he spotted it in the corner of his eye. A woman was leaning out the window of her house to get a look at what was going on. The very same woman he had been looking for. He almost managed to call out to her in warning, but it was too late.

Bertholdt had kicked in the wall, and chunks of debris began to rain down on the city. Still having more concern for his own safety, the boy ducked behind cover as the ground shook from the earthen bombardment. Once the chaos came to an end, the boy looked up to see the exact same thing from the manga; the house was buried beneath a boulder, and Carla was pinned beneath the rubble. Her survival owed to the fact that she was leaning out the window, causing only her lower-half to be caught in the mess that was the house.

Running over, the boy immediately noticed that the woman was in shock from what just happened, as she didn't even notice his approach. It was until he started picking at the rubble that she acknowledged him.

"Huh? What happened?"

"Don't worry ma'am. Everything is gonna be okay."

The boy did his best to remain positive, both for her sake and his own. Unfortunately that did nothing to help with the problem at hand. Carla was pinned beneath a wooden beam that was angled underneath a good chunk of the house. The only way she was getting out, would be if the weight on the beam was lifted, so it could then be moved out of the way. Not exactly something that two adults would be capable of, let alone someone of his current stature. Since brute force wasn't an option, he'd have to get creative.

He blocked out Carla's cries of concern and focused on the task at hand. Rummaging through the wreckage, he managed to find a half-bent pipe that was sturdy enough for what he had in mind. Next he snagged a length of rope from a nearby carriage. Nodding to himself as he tested how taught the rope was, he ran back over to Carla and slid the metal pipe underneath the wooden beam.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get you out of this mess. Just hang in there for a while longer."

With the pipe in place, he tied one end of the rope to the pipe and tied the other end to a small rock. Looking at the large boulder that destroyed the house, he faintly grinned at the idea of using the damn thing as the means for Carla to escape. Tossing the rock over the boulder, he managed to get the rope across the top of it.

"Mom!"

"Eren! Mikasa!"

Good news; he now had two extra sets of hands to help him out (even though they are children). Bad news; time was running out.

Securely tying the end of the rope around another wooden beam that was jutting outward like a diving board, he nodded in satisfaction. 'Work smarter, not harder'. Just like pops always said.

"If you two are done wasting time, then get over here and help me!" he shouted to the two kids who were struggling to lift the rubble.

By standing on the wooden beam, they would be able to use their weight as a counter-balance and actually pry open the beam that had pinned Carla. Just as he had hoped, the plan worked perfectly, and Carla managed to crawl out. And just in time too, as Hannes had arrived to help. Good thing he showed up when he did, otherwise the boy wasn't sure they'd be able to carry the injured woman themselves.

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The boys heart was thundering in his chest. Now that he and the others were escaping in the safety of the boat, the reality of the situation was able to finally hit him. He could've died!

Sitting with his back against the railing, he could see Eren staring out towards Shiganshina from his spot next to him. The loud explosion that came next was no doubt Reiner showing off his promising future as a football player. He didn't need to look to see what he already knew happened. Instead, the boy was more focused on Eren's reaction. He still wore that fierce look on his face, but it wasn't quite as menacing as it had been originally. Obviously owing to the fact that at least his mother survived.

Speaking of her, she was currently lying against the wall by Armin and his grandfather. The adrenaline that was running through her system from her injury had at last reached its end, and she was beyond exhausted. In a way, the boy realized that Carla's injury was in a way a godsend. With both of her legs broken, she was in no condition to be sent out as part of the 'mission' to reclaim Wall Maria. This meant that he didn't just save her, only for the government to send her to her death with countless others in the coming weeks.

"Hey." a soft voice called out.

Looking up, the boy noticed that Mikasa had approached him. The girl was obviously thankful for his help in saving Carla. It was nice to know that someone had their priorities straight. While Eren raged and swore vengeance at the encroaching Titans, Mikasa had the sensibility to show her appreciation to him.

"Thanks for the help back there." she spoke with a faint smile.

It's amazing how such few words can give someone a second wind.

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In his state of mental exhaustion, the boy failed to notice when Eren went missing for the short while, during which time Grisha was passing on his power to said child. So he figured he'd just stick with Mikasa and Carla for now. Not like he had anywhere else to go.

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The boy had to suppress his growing annoyance as Eren threw a fit because they had to be given rations as part of the relief effort. Seriously; how does that even make sense? You get angry because people are trying to help you survive? There's being prideful, there's being a jackass, and then there's being Eren.

He was glad to see that Mikasa was still forcing him to calm down and changed his perspective of things. The boy still frowned at this. While she is being forceful with him right now, it won't be long before she starts to go soft on him. So once she turned into the carrot, he'd take up the role of being the stick. Mikasa won't like him one bit for that, but Eren needed to be handled less with mittens and more with knuckledusters.

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For some reason, it had taken a whole day before the boy was properly able to introduce himself. He said his name was Levi A. Straub.

Levi was actually his first name, and he couldn't resist keeping it just to see what would happen later down the line. The _A_ however, was just there in case he needed it.

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Levi managed to get his hands on a notebook to keep as a diary. Well, less of a diary, and more of a record of future events. He organized it by following the chapters from the manga, so everything was in the same place for quick reference.

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The day finally came when Levi had to deal with Eren's bullshit. He smacked him in the back of the head. Hard.

Mikasa punched him out before he could properly scold the boy.

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Being a couple years older than the others, Levi was in a better physical state to begin training his body for when he enlists. He practices parkour, physical conditioning, and meditates while standing on one foot in order to work on his balance.

He has no idea if that last one will be of any help whatsoever. But that doesn't stop him from doing at least 4 hours of training each day.

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With Carla, Mikasa, and himself doing their best to keep Eren in line 24/7, the boy is starting to make a little progress with his anger issues.

Mikasa still doesn't like it when Levi hits him though.

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Two years passed by (which felt excruciatingly long for Levi, given that he was pretty much waiting for things to happen that he already knew about) and despite Carla's qualms, the group of friends enlisted in the military. However Mikasa, Armin, and Levi all promised the woman that they would keep an eye on Eren to make sure he stays out of trouble.

In fact, smacking Eren in the back of the head has become a rather enjoyable pastime for Levi.

Upon signing up, they are immediately inducted into the 104th Cadet Corps. On the first day they are lined up for a good dressing down by Shadis, who looks all too pleased to chew them all out. Levi easily spots the various other 'main characters' that he will be spending the next 3 years with... Even the detestable ones.

With things finally starting to progress, Levi was ready to make the most of his time in training. Not just to strengthen his body, but also to subtly guide various people down better paths that will help ensure their survival.

"Fourth row! About face!" shouted Shadis. It was the same row that Levi was in. And as luck would have it, the stone-faced man made a b-line straight for him.

"What the hell do they call you?!"

Levi maintained his composure and showed no sign of nervousness, despite Shadis' close proximity to him. After all, he had rehearsed this event multiple times already.

"Levi A. Straub, sir!"

"Levi?! So you think you're hot shit because you have the same first name as humanity's strongest?! You think you can just join up and be just like him?!"

"Sir, no, sir!"

"Then tell me why you are here!"

"To protect humanity from the Titans, no matter the cost, sir!"

"I'm sure you'll make a great snack for them! Buy some time for others to escape!"

"Sir! If that's the case, then I hope they choke on me and die!"

Shadis almost cracked a smile at that.

"Good attitude! Make sure that happens!"

The man continued on his way, going from one person to the next. And then Sasha happened.

"I WANT YOU RUNNING LAPS UNTIL YOUR FEET BLEED!" Shadis roared at the top of his lungs while looming over Sasha.

Levi internally sighed. He was gonna regret this.

"Sir! Request permission to join cadet Blaus in her punishment!"

Multiple heads snapped towards Levi, one of which being Shadis himself.

"The hell you say cadet?!" he yelled as he stormed over to Levi and got in his face once more.

"Sir! It is my belief that if someone else must suffer from her actions, she will be less likely to repeat them!"

"You must be some kind of fucking masochist Straub! Get over there and join Blaus with her punishment!"

Did Levi later regret his actions? Physically, yes. Mentally, no. He formed a bond with Sasha, and managed to personally experience Christa/Historia's kindness later that night. Neither the manga nor the anime did it any justice.

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Out of the three Shifters, Levi had found Annie to be the one he hated the least, despite her outrageous on-screen kill-count. She always distanced herself from others so that when the time came, she wouldn't have regrets about who she killed. She didn't want her treachery to be too painful for those she got to know.

On the other hand, Reiner and Bertholdt had integrated themselves into the group. Reiner became the 'big brother' figure of their cadet group, having the audacity to get all buddy-buddy. All just to try and kill them later on. And Bertholdt was just a weak-willed fool who had to follow Reiner around in order to maintain a sense of security.

Two of the three Shifters are willing to kill those that they get close to, but one of them couldn't risk making friends, because they just might not be able to act when the time comes.

So Levi made it his personal vendetta to follow Annie around like an excited puppy... She didn't like it one bit.

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The cadets began their training with the ODM gear, testing how well they balanced with the stationary machines. Levi found it to be quite similar to sitting on a swing, just that the point of balance was much smaller. This was gonna be fun for him.

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After allowing himself to be thrown out an open window by an increasingly annoyed Annie, Levi decides to enlist Armin's help in breaking down her barriers. The blonde works fast, and Annie doesn't push him away nearly as much as she does to Levi.

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One evening when Levi tries to be a pillar of support for Christa so he can work on fixing her world-view, Ymir of course shows up and demands that he get away from 'her Christa'. He has the perfect response thought up.

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize you two were a couple."

Christa's face turns red as her eyes widen, and does her best to stutter out a response. Meanwhile Ymir is caught off-guard by the remark, and is torn between clearing up the misunderstanding or lying for her own benefit. She settles on the former.

"We're not really-"

"Ah, ah! Don't worry. You're secret is safe with me~." Levi interrupts as he pressing his finger to his lips. "I don't judge. In fact, I find it wonderful that the love you share for each other is so strong despite it going against convention."

"But that's not-!"

"Yes, yes, I know. It's not true~." he quickly responds with a wink. "She's a good catch Ymir. Be sure to treat her well and always be there for her." he adds as he turns to leave.

Both girls can tell that Levi won't believe anything they say in regards to them not being a couple. Christa's mind is a jumbled mess of denial and confusion. Ymir feels guilty for how happy she is at this development.

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By the end of the first year of training, Levi has shot up like a weed, towering over his fellow cadets at just over six feet tall. He finds the height discrepancy between himself and Levi is rather funny.

He is also given the moniker; the Titan of the 104th, owing to his height. The irony of the situation is not lost on him.


End file.
